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Using fake IDs get teens into trouble

Tuesday, 10 November 2015 - 11:53am

Central

Bar staff and Police in the Manawatu have noticed a steep increase in under-age drinkers using fraudulent IDs to get into bars. In the past month, bar staff have seized in excess of 35 identification cards or passports which have been fraudulently used. Staff have seized a variety of IDs that have been made, altered or bought. More often, bar staff are finding teenagers are using IDs they have borrowed off an older friend or sibling. This has the potential to create a problem for both the borrower and the lender. Not only is it a specific offence to use an ID that belongs to someone else, but the same section of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act (s. 257) makes it an offence to “...sell, hire, lend or give…” someone else an ‘evidence of age document’. It is an offence to both use OR supply another with a fake ID or someone else’s ID. The maximum fine for this offence is $2,000 however the majority of offences are dealt with by the way of an Infringement Notice, where the penalty is $250, but not always.

Some bars also try and deter teens from ‘trying it on’ by banning them from their premises for a period even after they turn 18. It’s a risk to the business to have minors unlawfully on the premises and can create problems. Bars and police want the message out to young people keen to visit the pub - ‘Wait until you are actually 18’. Preloading has been identified as a concern; people who preloaded will be and are being denied entry into licensed premises. Police, Safe City Hosts and Licenced premises are working together through the CBD charter to focus on reducing alcohol-related harm, especially in young people.